NYC nanny found fit for trial in stabbing deaths

NEW YORK (AP) — A nanny charged with stabbing two small children to death last year while their mother picked up her other child from a swim lesson was found fit for trial today.

Police said they found Yoselyn Ortega last October in the bathroom of her employer’s Upper West Side apartment. The bodies of 6-year-old Lucia Krim, called Lulu, and her 2-year-old brother, Leo, were nearby in a pool of blood, and Ortega had stabbed herself as well. She was taken to a hospital.

Ortega was examined by two mental health professionals, Justice Gregory Carro said in Manhattan state Supreme Court. Both found that she could assist in her defense in a meaningful way and that she was mentally fit to proceed to her trial. Her lawyer, who declined to comment outside court, is challenging those results.

Ortega has pleaded not guilty to murder. Her sister has said she loved the children and is a peaceful woman.

After the children’s funeral, their shattered parents established the Lulu & Leo Fund to raise money for children’s education and enrichment programs. They started a Facebook page for the fund, filled with Lulu’s art and photos of the smiling little girl and her brother.